behind the stars // chaelisa + hints of jensoo

5 the missing chapter lol

a.n. ok announcement i basically published chapter 6 as chapter 5 so this is the actual chapter 5 again I am so sorry guys I'm kinda dumb

As she parks the wheelbarrow by the shed and balances the fork on its wall, Lisa realizes how stereotypical she looks.

Few outfits scream " lesbian farmer " louder than a dirty henley shirt paired with washed out jeans and work boots. Add a flannel shirt wrapped around her waist and a folded bandana keeping her braided hair off her face, and you have Lisa's exact outfit.

She'd argue it's a comfortable and practical outfit, since she's working on the fields all day to make sure the farm is ready for winter, but deep down she knows she's a walking cliche. And it goes further than an outfit too - not only is she dressed to go pick up girls, but she also has a crush on the one person guaranteed to make her eat her feelings and wash it down with scotch once it's all said and done.

There's a reason Joy and Sungjae hid their relationship for so long. Lisa has never been shy about her politics when it comes to romance in the hotel - no relationships between staff members, absolutely no relationships with guests. But working at a countryside hotel doesn't really allow for too many options for finding love.

She knows it. She understands it. She knew this going in.

Lisa thought she'd be fine. After all, she had been in love before, she had been in love and decided it just wasn't for her. She thought she'd be fine caring after her hotel, building her own little empire in the middle of nowhere, occasionally finding a girl at a bar to help her take care of her needs, forgetting the idea of having someone to share it all with. And she had been just fine, right up until Chaeyoung started laughing at her poor attempts at jokes and playing guitar in the garden she tended to herself.

Yet, somehow, having a crush on a guest isn't the worst of her problems - not when said guest is an international celebrity getting over a very public and very messy break up.

Pocketing her work gloves, Lisa tucks flyaway hair back under her bandana, making her way to the back door. She's hoping Joy will be kind enough to make something to feed half the hotel staff working at the barns. With winter knocking on the door, they're all hands on deck when it comes to making sure everything is prepared, no extra pair of hands dismissed. By Colorado standards, they're late - the first snowfall is due in a few days and while they've spent the best part of the week storing hay and building new fences, they still have a long way to go before they can breathe easily again.

After an entire morning staking posts to make a new fence, Lisa is tired, hungry and not at all looking forward to swing an axe all afternoon. She might straight up kiss Joy if the chef make some tea for her - whatever top secret spices she use are enough to power Lisa for a day and a half.

Her mind is far when she crosses the garden. She's so focused on putting one foot in front of the other and making a list of things to do before the day is over that she almost misses the soft strumming and " do dodo do" making its way to her. Ever since they drove down the field to drink under the stars, Chaeyoung playing guitar has been a constant in the hotel life - Lisa wants to believe she had something to do with it, but time and time again she shoved that ridiculous thought away. In the last few days, she had grown so used to hearing Chaeyoung's singing whenever she went that she almost didn't notice it.

Almost.

Lisa is halfway towards the kitchen when she turns towards the sound and finds Chaeyoung sitting cross legged on the bench swing, her socked feet tucked under her, blond hair spilling down her shoulders. Lisa pauses and watches Chaeyoung, the little details - her brow furrowing in concentration as she scribbles something on a notebook, her fingers grazing the strings before settling on a chord and playing it, her entire body leaning over the guitar when the one chord turns into a melody.